AliceLayne

This was your second Christmas. Your first one was fun, seeing your face light up and seeing you open presents and try to understand the concept. This time was so much fun! Your Dad and I got to experience our first night setting everything up, setting out cookies and milk for Santa, and overall just get ready for the excitement ahead of us the next morning. Being a parent is like being a kid all over again. Christmas is exciting again. I want to get up early just to see my child’s happy reaction.

You know who Santa is. You don’t entirely know the whole concept, but you know what he looks like and that he is EVERYWHERE all at once. (ie: the mall, people’s front yards, television, movies) it’s a little crazy now that I think about it. You loved watching anything about Santa Claus and you love pointing him out wherever we go.

Your favorite holiday movie this year was Frosty the Snowman. An all time favorite of mine. So when I saw it coming on, I recorded it.

We started the Christmas holiday by driving to Memphis and stayed the first part of the week at Naani and JoePop’s. Uncle Tim, Aunt B, and Josiah met us there to spend some quality family time and doing an early Christmas with them. You made out like a bandit! Lots of new toys to play with. Spoiled is an understatement. We went to Zoo Lights, a light show that you walk through and can see the animals at the same time at the zoo. You loved every second of it. You were a little weary of the people dressed as animals at first, but you came around and became obsessed with them. They each got at least twenty high-fives and hugs from you. After some carousel riding, and riding around in the wagon, we were pooped and went back home.

We spent the other half of the week at Birdie and HeyHey’s house. This is where we spent Christmas Eve and Christmas. Dinner out with the family, including Birdie, HeyHey, Daddy, me, Aunt Laura, Uncle Chris, Evan, and Uncle Crate, is always a tradition of ours on Christmas Eve. You were so funny saying “Bite of Bread?” over and over and kept everyone laughing and cooing over you.

The night concluded with dessert and opening presents with the family before bed. Then we wait for the big man in the red suit to come down the chimney. I still don’t think you understood what was going to happen when you woke up, but when that time came, your Dad and I were so excited, and then so were you once you figured out something big was waiting for you at the bottom of those stairs. The very stairs I went down every Christmas when I was growing up. I love sharing old traditions with you.

Once you saw your loot, you stopped dead in your tracks, looked up at me to confirm, and said “Santa Claus?” Then I knew you understood what was going on. How fun! You played and played and played until you were literally just sick and tired of opening presents. So we took a break.

The day continued with more tradition of Birdie’s side of the family coming over to be together. It’s always a fun time, even though you get overwhelmed with too much attention. Overall we had a great trip and an amazing Christmas. I’m sure someday soon we will start our own traditions here in our home, but for now, I love sharing it with the rest of the family. So until then, we can keep it this way.

Merry Christmas, little girl. You deserve everything you want and more. Continue to be a good girl. I love you.

Love Mommy

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Sweetpea,

Let me start this message on the 9th of January 2014 by apologizing for not updating what has been going on with more frequency.  We both love you bunches and we promise to do better as it was our New Years Resolution to ensure this blog was updated so that one day you might type in your name to a web browser and stumble upon all  of this good stuff!

Last time I wrote to you (ashamed as I am) we lived in Charleston, South Carolina and since that moment we have been transferred to Houma, Louisiana. Needless to say this unit was not in our top ten places we wanted to go….or top 20….or top 30….yes thirty-four places we wanted to go aside from here. But as the Coast Guard saw fit, we wound up in Houma…Louisiana.  I say it this way and with such shock and strife, the same way I would describe it to you the way I felt the day we got orders here. But 100% truth be told, it has been a wonderful experience and mainly because of you and the way that you, Alice Layne, have taught mom and I to grow together.  We have learned and are still learning and growing with you every day to become better parents and to teach you the right way to do things but at the same time letting you establish your own little way of doing things…safely.  I cannot ever explain in a simple blog or a few quick lines of text just how proud I am of you and how much joy I feel when I turn my key in the afternoon after a day at work that get to spend the next few hours before bedtime with you just amazed at every new little thing you do.

So a few highlights since I last wrote to you:

-Houma, Louisiana. Enough said.  Friendly people.  Great friends.  Amazing Pool.

– (Fohoget Fie-day) otherwise know as Frozen Yogurt Friday.  Every friday as a family we go to Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt and get a delicious frozen yogurt treat that you LOVE!!!!  Doesn’t matter the flavor, toppings, size, temperature outside, temperature inside, mood you were in before we arrived or mood when it was time to go but you LOVE Frozen Yogurt Friday and so do we!

– The Little Things You Say – Right now, you are just like a Parrot.  If we say it, you say it.

-Brown Bear

-Brown Bear 

-Love you Daddy

–Luv You Daddy

-Go Tigers!

–Gu Tiguuws

Your fearlessness is astounding.  Mom more than I gets the chance to take you to the park during the day and its nothing short of amazing when I tell you that you are so determined to overcome any fears that you are confronted with.  The first couple of times Mom and I took you to the park, you were very skeptical of the whole thing, but each time Mom and I were with you to go down slides you participated with great enthusiasm and literally begged us repeatedly to go down slides, swing, and to just stay at the park, until we had to pry you away because it was time to go.  But now you are so fearless, so head strong that you will climb over any obstacle and climb any apparatus in order to have a good time at the there.

As I said before, it is our New Years Resolution to update this blog with more frequency so that your Mom and I leave a ‘Time Machine’ of sorts to our little Sweet Pea!  I continue to be amazed by you Alice Layne Hopkins!

I Love You!

Dad

First of all I want to say sorry. I feel like life has been going in fast motion and I haven’t taken the time to blog. I was never good at writing in my diaries as a kid.

We made the big move in June. It was extremely bitter and not so sweet to leave our little house on Yorktown Drive in Charleston. Your birthplace. The first home you lived in. But time heals all and we are still a happy family. (Which I never doubted but didn’t know how put together I would be.) We have made some friends here. I try to get us out a lot, whether it be shopping, playdates, park to “go down slide” and any festivals that might be going on here in town. The people here are very nice and lively. There isn’t much to do around here but we make it work.

You have grown so much. Right when we moved, it was like you turned a 180. You started talking so much. Your Dad and I have started to write down fun little things you say that make us giggle because we find ourselves at the end of the night, after you have gone to bed, re-enacting the day and laughing at all of your catchy tag-lines. Your most favorites are: “Ah Moon” “Hep me (help me)” “Daddy boop!” “MOLASSES….alright!” and so much more.

We went to New Orleans the first weekend we moved to Louisiana.

We went to Florida with my side of the family in July. You loved the beach, going with HeyHey to see the moon at night, and overall just being around everyone. You are such a lively spirit!

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We rode in the wagon everyday to get the mail.

During the summer, we went to the pool almost everyday. And you were a swimmer at 19 months old. Who can say that?

The sunsets in Houma are some of the best I have ever seen in my life and look forward to them every night in the summer time.

We took a three week trip to Memphis to spend time with our family. You got to see your cousin Josiah and your cousin Evan, all of your grandparents and some aunts and uncles. Every time we go home, I feel like you come back with so much knowledge.

Cindy, Jay, and Tyler came to visit us in October. We had an amazing time with them. I hope you and Tyler will be friends for a long time.

You were the prettiest moon on Halloween. You won ‘Most Original’ and I won ‘Most Creative’

We made last minute Thanksgiving dinner plans with our friends who live next door. Nothing too special, and only got a few photos. 

I hope this caught you up on the last six months of your life. I know it’s brief but in 2014 your Dad and I have decided that our resolution will be writing more. You are growing like a weed! And I can’t say this enough, but you are so smart. You make me so incredibly proud. I love being your Mom. (And hopefully best friend.)

Wow this has been a very busy year so far. We are in May. I kicked myself every time I thought of your blog and how much I need to write.

You are getting so big, so independent, and so moody. That is lightly put. The attitude has really started to come out in my sweet little baby, but I’m well aware that it all comes with toddlerhood. You know how to push my buttons, and when you do, things get loud! We will get through it kicking and screaming, eh?

We have been preparing a move. A big one. We are moving to Houma, Louisiana. This was not a choice made by your Dad and I. The Coast Guard is moving us there for your Dad’s job. We were really hoping somewhere more exciting like San Francisco, Portland, OR, or Seattle, WA. We made up a list of about forty-five different cities of where we would like to go, and we didn’t get any of them. We ended up with a ‘leftover list’ and here we are about to move to Houma. You are too young right now to be aware of how emotionally stressful this is. I am the one in the family having the most trouble with it. Going from an amazing town with so much to do, to a small town with not so friendly things to do is going to be hard for me. Especially with a child. I want to be able to entertain you and spend time outdoors, but this town doesn’t seem like it provides much for that. New Orleans is about an hour away, so it will be a nice get-away when we can.

We move in less than a month from now. Lately, I have not been able to get myself together. I am stressed emotionally on leaving this town with my other mother friends and your ‘play date buddies’. I am sad to leave that support system and have to create an entirely new one in Houma. I am sad to leave the first house you have ever lived in. The one we brought you home to. The one you had your first grasp in, first crawl in, first walk in, and first word in. We have built so many memories in this little house and once we leave, I know we will never see it again. Now I know why people buy a home to make it their own and stay in it forever. The memories made will always be in my head, yes, but I will forever miss seeing you run up and down the hallway knowing exactly which room you want to go into, or going behind the table in the dining area to hide or take a ‘time out’ for yourself. This house (and the city of Charleston) will hold my heart. We may just have to move back once your Dad retires.

All in all, you won’t have any recollection of this place. You will only have pictures to look at when you are older. The truth that I have to keep repeating to myself is that we will be happy wherever we make our home as long as we have each other. We will make new memories in a new place, and continue to do so for years to come. Such is the life of a military family. It’s what we signed up for. My main wish is that the moves help you grow into a mature girl with the experiences you will have under your belt that a lot of other kids don’t have.

I plan to take pictures all around this house so I can show you every nook and cranny and also show you your favorite spots. I will do the same around town for our favorite places to go.

Yesterday was your FIRST Birthday!  I really cannot believe how fast the time has gone, and I truly cannot believe how amazing you are.  I adore seeing you say and do new things every day.  I glow with joy when i see you walk around the house, you have learned to prop open the door enough to shimmy your way around it and then take off down the hall to go explore something new.  Each day is a new surprise waiting to happen and it warms my heart to see you smile when I wake you up with my patented “Beeeeep Beeep” greeting to the day.  You smile so big when I come home from work or wake you up from a nap, just like, you can’t wait to get going and do/learn something brand new.  Mom and I are so in love with you and are so infinitely proud of you.  I cannot wait to see what year two holds for us but, just know that we love you so much and will always be there for you.

I love you Sweetpea!

Dad

What is going on here? How did we get here? Where did the time go? I ask myself these questions daily now.

We had your birthday party yesterday. It was such a huge success. So many people here to support you who love you very much. A lot of our friends here in Charleston and then your four grandparents. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. We were able to do everything outside on the back porch in our big backyard. It was 65-70 degrees and sunny. Come to think of it, the day you were born was quite an unusually warm day as well! I will miss January in Charleston. It was a day filled with laughter, love, outdoors, cake, and of course BALLOONS! What a day. We won’t be in Charleston forever, so having everyone we love here under one roof was such a pleasure for us. I had to take a moment away from the party to cry a little at the fact that we will be leaving in just a few short months. It is hard for me to leave such a strong support system.

Facebook post from this day:

Dear Girlfriend,

I can’t express enough how much emotion I feel for this day. A year ago today I was rushed tot he hospital because my water broke at home. At 2am your Daddy was stopping at red lights. Um… no. “Are you crazy? I’m about to have a baby and I’m in tons of pain! It’s 2am and there is no traffic. Run it!” I remember saying on our way there. We get there and I check in and they immediately take me upstairs. Matt parks the car and on his way from the garage to the hospital, he is rapidly approached by a crazy homeless dude. Luckily, a police officer was nearby and shooed him away. (lightly put) Seven hours + one hour of pushing later and our baby girl was here. We were so excited to have you in our arms. A year later and I can’t believe we have made it to this point. It went by so fast and I wish I could rewind it just so I could watch everything all over again. You have grown into a beautiful little girl and we couldn’t be more proud.

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Alice! We have made it. The three of us. You. Me. Daddy. We made it a whole entire year together. Don’t get me wrong, I knew we would. But it snuck up real quick. In the beginning, on the nights when you were inconsolable, I wished this day would come sooner. When life would be easier. When I would know what I was doing. I think I got my wish. But I’m sitting here now telling you I shouldn’t have wished that. Everything was so new to me that I ‘freaked out’ and wished things I didn’t really mean. Now we are at a year and I want to go back so bad. Now I know why parents say the time goes way too fast. I wish we had the option to go back to certain memories in time and relive them just by watching from the corner of the room. Or literally be a ‘fly on the wall’.

I remember this day like it was yesterday. (Yes I started it like that.) It was a very unusually warm time in January. I woke up mid-sleep at around 2:00AM. I had cramp-like pain every few minutes. I started to time them. They were about seven minutes apart each time. Which means they were regular. Which means I was probably in labor for sure. I didn’t want to wake Matt just incase it was a false alarm. So I waited until I knew they were for sure until I woke him up. Well, my body couldn’t wait that long. In the middle of timing my contractions, my water broke in the bathroom. Matt heard a little bit of commotion and awoke from his deep sleep. “Is everything okay?” he said. “I think my water just broke” I said. He hopped out of bed to come to my aid. The contractions weren’t terribly painful yet. We called the Doc and they said if my water broke then I should come on in. As we got ready, I tried to stay as calm as possible. All of the commotion woke Birdie and HeyHey (who were in town waiting for your arrival.) We told them what was going on and they said for us to go ahead and they would meet us there soon. I was shaking the whole time trying to make sure I had everything I needed. We got into the car (in pajamas) and booked it to the hospital. As we got closer (mind you, it is almost 3:00AM now) your Dad was still stopping at the stop lights with absolutely no traffic and me in a lot of pain at this point. “Are you kidding me!?” I said. “I’m in labor! Step on it!!” He didn’t hesitate and ran two more red lights to get there.

When we arrived, I checked in and they took me straight up to maternity. I was having contractions every four minutes at this point. Matt went to go park the car. As he was walking from the parking garage to the hospital, a homeless man rapidly approached him. Matt (naturally) was worried and went into defense mode by shielding himself, until a police officer helped out by ‘shooing’ the homeless man away and asking him what was up. All I know is that he gave some weird response. Matt figured he was drunk, but still dangerous nonetheless. Thank God he made it.

When I got to the 5th floor they wheeled me to the reception desk. They asked if I was Mary Hopkins. I replied yes and they said “Wow! We had you down for the 27th but didn’t actually expect you to come on your due date!” (Hmm, I guess I’m one of the lucky ones… now get me to a room so we can do this! ow ow ow ow ow.) They took me to an exam room and had me change into a gown. Mind you, my water kept breaking as we arrived and as I sat in the exam room and waited. It was an awful feeling. I told them sorry, to which they replied “It’s nothing we have never seen before. Don’t worry!” Still embarrassing to me though. But as the pain got worse and worse, all of my modesty went out the door. They took me to the delivery room and got me all set up. My contractions stayed around every four minutes and they hurt so bad. I remember I couldn’t carry on a conversation or say much of anything at all for that matter. I just held your Daddy’s hand as tight as I could.

Once I couldn’t bare the pain any longer, I decided an epidural would be a good option for me. So they set me up. I had to sit on the side of the bed holding Matt’s hand while they stuck a huge needle into my back. This all while I was still having contractions. And they tell you to be still. What?! As I’m cringing in pain and trying not to move, your Dad starts humming one of his favorite tunes (which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine) in which I looked up, stared him in the eyes and just silently shook my head no. Needless to say, he got the point and stopped.

Once I had the epidural, all was well in the world. AND they even gave me a cool little wand with a button on it to add more epidural juice if I feel any pain. That thing was my best friend.

Birdie and HeyHey arrived and they came in and ‘hung out’ with us until it was time to push. We waited seven hours until I was ten centimeters and was able to start pushing. I pushed for en entire hour until you came out at 10:06AM. The most beautiful face I had ever seen. I remember it so vividly and remember thinking to myself “That’s my baby.”

They immediately laid you on my chest and I held you so. I wept. Dad wept. We cried tears of joy together and basked in the moment. After you were cleaned off and weighed, I immediately breastfed you. It was the start of a new, amazing relationship.

Alice Layne, this year has been an incredible roller coaster ride. You have been one amazing little baby. I couldn’t ask for someone more sweet, funny, and easy going as you. I am excited for the rest of our lives together. I can’t express enough how much emotion I feel for this day. You have grown into a beautiful little girl and we couldn’t be more proud.

Here’s to toddlerhood. (Hold on to your hats!)

Mom

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And here we are.

You started trying to walk a few weeks ago. You would start and fall. Start and fall. Start, two steps, and fall. Then three, then four, then it got to eleven and Dad and I had to just stop counting. You officially started walking from point A to point B without falling while we were home for the holiday in Memphis. I kept telling everyone “I swear she will be walking by the time we leave here.” And rest assured you may have crawled just a few more times since we have been home, but as of today I can honestly say I can’t remember when the last time you crawled was. You don’t need anything for leverage which amazes me. You have amazing balance and you even try to get somewhere quick! I’m sure those few face plants made you learn a lesson or two. You’re new at this, so take it easy little bug. (Not sure where I came up with this nickname but I can’t stop.)

I was (secretly) hoping you would learn to walk sooner rather than later considering I hate cleaning floors. Crawling just collects so much dirt and grime. With two dogs, it is not fun having a crawling baby all over the floors. Now that you primarily walk, I don’t have to worry as much. But I’ll still make sure it’s livable.

Not only are you walking before age one, you have started saying your first words. While in Memphis you said ‘Cat’ for the very first time. I honestly consider this your first ‘real’ word. After this, you went on to say ‘light’, ‘dog’, and ‘HeyHey’. Since we’ve been home from vacation, you haven’t said ‘cat’ like that again, but I know its in there somewhere. I love watching you try and say words. It makes me so proud.

One of your most FAVORITE things in the world right now are balloons. If only that word wasn’t so hard to say, you would be saying it all of the time. I brought home a big bundle of balloons from work one day. (the weird kind that stay afloat for ages.) Ever since, you have been obsessed with them. So we just keep them around. It’s cute when we say the word ‘balloon’ you look straight up to the ceiling. Even if there isn’t one there. We all get a kick out of it. You are so silly!

I am so proud of you, Alice. I never knew before how smart babies really were until I had you. And you are one of the smartest I know. I enjoy watching you learn and teach yourself new things. I’m amazed by you every single day.

I love you.

We decided to go back to our hometown for your first Christmas. We weren’t sure how many more Christmas’ we would be able to enjoy back home once we moved somewhere even further possibly. So we made the long twelve hour trek in the car. You were such a trooper!

Once home, we used up most of the days doing some last minute shopping. Followed by lots of extra attention from Birdie, HeyHey, Nonee, and JoePop.

Christmas Eve we spent the night at Nonee and JoePop’s so you could spend your first Christmas with your older cousin, Josiah. You slept late. Reminds me when Birdie would tell me the older siblings would start opening gifts before I even got up as a baby because I slept so late. Must be in the genes.

Once you were finally up we all overwhelmed you with gifts. You had a smile on your face the entire time. I could tell you were soaking up every minute of it.

As the day went on, things came to a halt when your Daddy accidentally gave me a snack that had cashews in it, which I’m highly allergic, and as a result was rushed to the emergency room by JoePop while Dad stayed home and watched you. A miserable five hours later and we keep the excitement going and over to Birdie and HeyHey’s Christmas party we go. It was just as it was every year before, loud and sometimes a bit inappropriate, but I can tell aunts and uncles are getting older because they don’t stay as late as they used to.

You made out pretty good, kid. Lots of fun new toys to clutter up the house with. But most importantly, and the coolest thing you got on Christmas was your two front teeth. Which started cutting through right in time.

Merry Christmas sweet girl.

PS

You hated Santa Claus!